The amniotic membrane transplantation in ocular surface diseases: Clinical features and outcomes

The Amniotic Membrane Transplantation İn Ocular Surface Diseases: Clinical Features and OutcomesPurpose: To investigate the effectivity of the amniotic membrane transplantation for ocular surface disease.Materials and Methods: The medical records of 80 eyes of 80 patients who were applied amniotic membrane transplantation for various ocular surface problems between January 2004 and February 2009 at Çukurova University Ophthalmology Department, were studied retrospectively. Full ophthalmological examination including ocular ultrasonography for patients with poor fundus illumination was done. Cultures and corneal scrapings were taken from corneal lesions. Follow-up examinations were done at postoperative 1 day, at 1 week and at 1,3,6 months and yearly.Results: 37 of 80 patients (46.3%) were men and 43 (53.8%) were women. The mean age of patients was 51.8±20.07 (2-87) years. The corneal lesions were; ulcers in 26 eyes, corneal thinning in 17 eyes, desmatocel in 11 eyes, chemical burns in 2 eyes, bullous keratopathy in 8 patients, symblepharon in 7 eyes, conjunctival mass in 2 eyes, exposure of implant in 2 eyes, ocular surface problems after penetrating injuries in 2 eyes, neurotrophic keratitis in one eye, corneal amyloidosis in one eye and bleb leak after trabeculectomy in one eye. In 10 eyes single layer transplantation, in 70 eyes multi-storey transplantation were done. The transplantations were performed using cover-technique in 28 eyes (35%) and graft technique in 52 eyes (65%). Penetrating keratoplasty was required in 47 eyes. 2 eyes were enucleated.Conclusions: The amniotic membrane transplantation is a commonly used procedure for multiple ocular surface disorders. It is a cost-effective and recently used technique for severe and treatment-resistant for ocular surface lesions.Keywords: Amniotic membrane transplantation, ocular surface disorders, transplantation techniques